June 2007

German-American Social Club
of Sarasota
axãáÄxààxÜ
6/2007
Hello dear Fellow Club Members,
In spite of the calendar still showing spring in this part of the world, the Sarasota area
is already sizzling with summer weather. If we only could get the rains that should go
with it to keep our thirsty lawns, trees, shrubs and flowers looking at their best.
Many of you are or have been on vacation in different parts of the country or even the
world and I hope you all have a safe and enjoyable as well as a healthy season. Erwin
and I along with Janet and Martin Link and another couple enjoyed a great cruise from
Miami to Athens, Greece. We stopped for tours in Funchal on Madeira Island, in
Civitavecchia (the port for Rome) and Naples, as well as Iraklion on Crete and ended
with 3 days in Athens before flying back home. We had our fill of myths, mayhem,
floods, volcanic eruption, murder, infidelity and whatever else 3000 years of history can
dish out. But we did not deny ourselves all the yummy meals on board ship either. Now
I (speaking only for myself, of course) am struggling with the extra poundage!
Looking back over a busy first half of our GASC year we can all agree it has been a
wonderful start. The dances as well as the March picnic were filled to capacity, the
bands we chose kept us either dancing till our feet hurt or had us “schunkeln” to the
familiar tunes of yesteryear. Below is the schedule for the next few events; be sure to
drop Brigitte a line at [email protected] or call early for reservations (371-7786).
I’ll sign off for today with a hearty ‘Be well”
Rosemarie
Our upcoming functions will be:
August 4, 2007
Alpen Diamanten
Sommerfest
September 12, 2007
Business Meeting, 7 PM
Gulf Gate Library
September 22, 2007
Peter Mueller
Weinfest
German-American Social Club of Sarasota -
Page 2
Viele Teilnehmer unserer letzten Kreuzfahrt mit der NCL „Pearl“ haben mich gefragt: „Wann
startet die nächste Reise?“
Hier kommt die Antwort: Ich habe eine Reise ausgesucht, die uns von Florida nach Mexico,
Costa Rica, Panama, Kolumbien und zur Dominikanischen Republik bringt. Die Einzelheiten
erseht Ihr aus dem beiliegenden Prospekt. Für alle Fragen stehe ich gerne zur Verfügung. Die
preiswerteste Inside Kabine (nach upgrade Kategorie 3) würde exklusiv der Steuern $799.00
pro Person kosten.
Ich plane für den Tag in Panama einen individuellen Ausflug; die Details folgen noch. Wir
werden auf jeden Fall den Panama Kanal erleben und noch einiges mehr.
Falls Ihr interessiert seid, bitte ich um Rückmeldung an mich asap, da ich nicht weiβ wie lange
die Cruise Line den Gruppentarif offen hält. Ich werde dann von mir aus weitere Informationen
geben wie und wo zu buchen ist.
Dieter H. Schneider
(941-966-6006)
First and foremost I want to thank those of you who attended the event. Most of the comments I
received were positive, except for the dinner. There was a shortage of food for which I
apologize. The UGAS Committee has refunded the cost of the dinners back to the club for those
who did not receive one.
There will be a Heritage Day 2008 and I hope to see you all there. Those wanting to know more
about the Heritage Day 2007 and see the President’s message, please go to their website at
http://www.ugasflorida.org.
Ron Stopperich,
Sarasota’s Delegate to UGAS
German-American Social Club of Sarasota -
Page 3
For those of you who missed the Western theme dance on April 28th, the Otto Springman
Scholarship was awarded to Kymberlyn Laird, a student of New College, in the amount of
$750.00 that evening. Miss Laird was accompanied by Professor Wendy Sutherland, her sister
Cyndi Laird and Claudia Bittmann. Professor Sutherland will take Miss Laird as well as several
other students to Berlin this month. We wish her much success. It is the 5th year GASC has given
this award to a deserving student for furthering his/her studies in the German language.
Some of our members need our well wishes:
Klaus Gillrath
Stephanie Kruk
Hartmut Lemke
Adelheid Shillus
Umberto Todaro
We warmly welcome another 3 new members into the GASC family:
Beverly Curtis
5107 Lahaina Dr.
Sarasota, FL 34232
941-371-1680
[email protected]
Jim Kosco
4511 Mangrove Point Rd.
Bradenton, FL 34210
941-792-5108
[email protected]
Marianne Sanchez
5640 Beaurivage Ave.
Sarasota, FL 34243
941-355-5300
[email protected]
If you like, cut and paste these new addresses into your Membership
Directory.
German-American Social Club of Sarasota -
Page 4
Please consider our advertisers and let them
know what prompted you to use
their services.
Wenn es darum geht, eine Immobilie zu
kaufen oder verkaufen, dann kontaktieren
Sie eine leistungsfähige und vertrauenswürdige Maklerin und Spezialistin vor Ort. Ich
lebe seit einigen Jahren in Sarasota, bin
staatlich zugelassene Immobilienmaklerin in
Florida und verfüge über lokale Marktkenntnis im Immobiliengeschäft. Ich stehe
Ihnen gerne für individuelle und realistische
Beratung zur Verfügung.
Whether you’re selling or buying, I look forward to serving all your real estate needs. Professionalism,
efficiency and above all honesty and trustworthiness do matter when choosing a realtor. Quality and
service make a difference!
German-American Social Club of Sarasota -
Page 5
History of Hamburgers
In a few days it will officially be summer
and with that the grilling season will get
into full swing around the country,
although in Florida there never seems to
be a time when we need to stop this
tradition because of snow, ice or other
calamities, except maybe during
hurricanes. Since the 4th of July is near,
grilling is a tradition in many families
and the hamburger is very popular,
especially with kids. ABC News
reported recently about where the
Hamburger might have originated:
maybe in Wisconsin, maybe in
Connecticut around 1900 or Texas in the
1880s?
Our friend and culinary guru sent me an
article about the “History of
Hamburgers” tracing this popular staple
back thousands of years. We learned that
even the ancient Egyptians ate ground
meat, and down through the ages we also find that ground meat has been shaped into patties and
eaten all over the world under many different names.
In the 12th century Genghis Khan and his army of fierce Mongol horsemen conquered two thirds
of the then known world. The Mongols were a fast-moving, cavalry-based army. They stayed in
their saddles for long periods of time and therefore had little opportunity to stop and build a fire
for their meals. As the army needed food that could be carried on their mounts and eaten easily
with one hand while they rode, ground meat was the perfect choice. They would use scrapings of
lamb or mutton which were formed into flat patties. They softened the meat by placing it under
the saddles of their horses while riding into battle. When it was time to eat, the meat would be
eaten raw having been tenderized by the saddle and the back of the horse.
When Genghis Khan’s grandson, Khubilai Khan invaded Moscow around 1238, they naturally
brought their unique dietary ground meat with them. The Russians adapted it into their own
cuisine with the name “Steak Tartare” (Tartars being their name for the Mongols). Over many
years, Russian chefs adapted and developed this dish and refining it with chopped onions and
raw eggs.
German-American Social Club of Sarasota -
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In the 1600s ships from the German port of Hamburg began calling on Russian ports. During this
period the Russian Steak Tartare was brought back to Germany and called “Tartare Steak”.
In the late eighteenth century, the largest ports in Europe were in Germany. Sailors who had
visited the ports of Hamburg, Germany and New York, brought this food and term “Hamburg
Steak” into popular usage. To attract German sailors, eating stands along the New York City
harbor offered “steak cooked in the Hamburg style”. Immigrants to the United States from
German-speaking countries brought with them some of their favorite foods. One of them was
Hamburg Steak. The Germans simply flavored shredded low-grade beef with regional spices,
and both cooked and raw it became a standard meal among the poorer classes. In the seaport
town of Hamburg, it acquired the name Hamburg steak. Today it is no longer called that in
Germany, but rather “Frikadelle” or “Bulette”, originally Italian and French words.
Meanwhile, in 1802, the Oxford English Dictionary defined Hamburg steak as salt beef. It had
little resemblance to the hamburger we know today. It was a hard slab of salted minced beef,
often slightly smoked, mixed with onions and breadcrumbs. The emphasis was more on
durability than taste.
The origin of the modern hamburger is not very clear, but the prevailing version is that at the end
of 1800s, European emigrants reached America on the ships of the Hamburg Lines and were
served meat patties quickly cooked on the grill and placed between two pieces of bread. Ground
beef as hamburger dates to the invention of the mechanical meat choppers and in the early
nineteenth century wood, tin and pewter cylinders with wooden plunger pushers became
common.
Historians have searched old cookbooks and old restaurant menus to discover where our first
modern day hamburger was served, but from what I’ve read so far, the jury is still out. It could
very well have been New York, Los Angeles or any place in between….
Oh well, JUST ENJOY.
AND A VERY HAPPY FATHER’S DAY TO ALL THE DADS,
GRANDPAS, GREATGREAT-GRANDPAS AND SO ON…
ON…